Teachers demand modification of transfer order under ATD 2021: AJKLTF

Batote(Jammu): The All Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh Teachers’ Federationhas demanded a transparent transfer policy without any interference in the Education Department under ATD 2021. The federation has also sought suitable adjustment of surplus Masters and Teachers.
These demands were raised during the meeting of Ramban district at Batote on Monday under the chairmanship of Devraj Thakur J&K President AJKLTF to discuss the issues of teaching communities, especially Teachers, Masters & lectures working in the Department. The meeting discussed the issues,such as ATD 2021, DPC, service conditions of teachers, infrastructure in educational institutions and matters related to the shortage of non-teaching and teaching staff in schools and offices, especially in the far-flung areas of the Union Territories of J&K .
Addressing the teachers, Devraj Thakur demanded immediate filling up of posts of teaching staff in the institutions and review on ATD 2021. While demanding modifications to irrational transfer order recently issued by the concerned authorities under ATD 2021 of several cadres without verification of services rendered by teachers in far flung areas, Thakur said that the teachers who are enjoying their posting in cities since 10 to 20 years are yet untouched by ATD 2021. “There is great resentment among the teachers community for not giving preference to the teachers posted away from home at a distance of 50 to 250 kms”, Thakur alleged. Thakur also said “the Teachers/ Masters/ Lecturers serving in hard zones and far flung areas have been kept posted there for years together whereas the blue eyed persons are being posted at their door steps and they are transferred at almost zero distance . Such type of discrimination needs to be weeded out to ensure efficiency, transparency and accountability”.
He said a better Transfer Policy is the need of the hour and demanded that the new and better Transfer Policy be framed, that too, having Statutory force.
He further said that in this transfer policy, majority of the teachers could not get themselves transferred because of the non-availability of condition and vacancies , stating therein that “also, hiding of certain stations in the list of vacant stations issued three times, itself speaks of some vested intentions of the department”. He said ” till 2020 it has been held that the Transfer Policy is nothing more than administrative instructions having no force of law, where as the present ATD 2021 is the most welcomed step towards transparency and ray of hope for the aggrieved community”. “There is a need to start regularisation of all cadres of the department at the time of their promotion and teachers should be exempted from extra-academic duties as assured by the Education authorities with the immediate effect, and release of DPC without any delay,” he said.
Other demands raised during the meeting included suitable adjustment of teaching staff and recently transferred all cadres working in different schools & offices J&K . During the discussion, speakers alleged that J&K Government had failed to implement a transparent transfer policy under ATD 2021which had affected the academic standard in the institutions,
They urged the government to clear all pending files of RRET Trs(also to surplus RRT teachers) for the conversion into grade ll trs and grade lll trs lying in different CEO’s office/ZEO’s office.As they are without salary from a long long time and to regularise all RET Trs who have been completed their five years of service satisfactory.and a clear cut transfer policy in favour of RRETs and removal of pay anomalies etc.
AJKLTF leaders also condemned the non-release of salaries and other arrears to a large section of teaching fraternity for quite a long time which they said “has made their life miserably deplorable”. “We were hopeful that during Lieutenant Governor rule, the house of School Education would be in place but things have not changed so far”, the teachers said and appealed to the Administrative Secretary as well as Lieutenant Governor Sinha to intervene in the matter.